Re: Rose Mildew ( wasRoses for the cooler/moister parts of our Mediterranean climes

Catherine Ratner wrote:
I live a mile from the coast in zone 24. Lots of fog and wind. The rose
Reve d'Or (noisette) on my south-facing front fence has been very good.
Crepuscule has been a disappointment, suffering constant mildew. It is new,
and I'll give it one more year to shape up, as I like its graceful form and
the flower color is what I want. (It is supposed to bloom when the
persimmons behind it are ripe.)


Cathy
I am way behind with my mail, but thought I might just reply to this oservation of yours.

From my experience severe mildew susceptibility is confined to a fairly small group of roses. I have more than once seen one variety only in a garden become mildewed every year while its fellows growing around it never showed any attack; so I fear if a rose shows mildew like yours has done it is not very likely to throw it off in later years.

If you would really like to keep it though because of the picture you would like it to make with the persimmons, you could try spraying it with a milk solution (one part of low-fat milk iand two of water seems a good dilution) starting for full protection from when the new leaves first unfold. This safe (for you) spray appears to be very effective both in protecting leaves against mildew and destroying the fungus if it is already present, but may need applying quite regularly perhaps throughout the season(you would need to experiment).

A much less complicated alternative is of course to get rid of Crepuscule and find a resistant replacement!

Moira

--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
NEW PICTURES ADDED 4/Feb/2004

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